Weasley's scrooged
by Herne
Summary: Ron and Molly blame Harry for Fred's death. Ginny loves Harry, but doesn't want to alienate her family by dating him. Will a visit from four ghostly visitors help change things for the better?
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

Ginny stared at Harry. His shoulders were slumped, as if he'd just been told the worst news he could imagine. His emerald green eyes were dull. He stared down at the ground, refusing to look at her. She reached out to touch his shoulder, and then withdrew her hand. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tried to explain.

"Harry, I love you. I really truly do, but I can't abandon my family. I can't. Fred's death nearly destroyed us. Please Harry, just wait a while. I'm sure they'll come around."

Harry looked at her sadly. "I don't think they will, Gin. They blame me for Fred's death," he paused thinking. "At least Ron and your Mum do. I don't blame them, but I did the best I could with the information I had. I wish I could've stopped Voldemort sooner. If I had, he would've never killed Teddy's parents."

Ginny winced at the mention of Remus and Tonks. "Harry, I am trying to convince them it wasn't your fault, but you know how stubborn my family is. When we get an idea in our heads, it's hard to get us to change our minds."

Harry glanced up at her. There was an expression of total defeat on his face. "So what you're saying is that you won't be with me until your Mum and Ron approve. What about your Dad? Doesn't his opinion mean anything? I know he doesn't blame me. He told me so himself."

"No he doesn't," Ginny said slowly, "but Mum's managed to convince the rest of them. You know how strong willed she can be. Please, can't you wait a little longer?

Harry turned away from her, gazing up at the setting sun. Far off, they could hear the water in the pond bubbling. Birds chirped as they flew back to their nests for the night. After a few moments, Harry turned back to her.

"I'll wait a little while longer, Gin, but not forever. I can't keep dealing with this pain day after day. Your Mum told me I was as good as a son, but that wasn't true, was it? No, when one of her blood children dies, she tosses me aside. I love you, Ginny Weasley, but I can't keep dealing with rejection."

Without another word, Harry turned on the spot and vanished. Sniffling slightly, Ginny turned and headed back to The Burrow. As she walked, she thought about what Harry had said.

He was right. It wasn't fair what her family had done to him. It had been a year since the final battle, and her Mother had only spoken to him once in that time. Her stomach twisted painfully as the memory came to the forefront of her mind.

Ginny looked up as Harry entered the great hall. He looked a mess. His black hair was dirty and matted, his face was cut and bruised, his clothes were torn, and there was a haunted look in his green eyes. Seeing her family, he made his way towards them. He stopped beside her, looking down at Fred's body. Before he could speak, her Mother turned to face him.

"What are you doing here?" she said shrilly. "Haven't you done enough?" Her hands were balled into fists and her brown eyes blazed with fury.

Harry reared back as if she'd slapped him. "I-I just wanted to say I'm sorry for Fred's death," he stammered.

"You should be sorry," Mrs. Weasley shrieked, beginning to sob. "He trusted you. We all trusted you. Why didn't you stop him sooner? Why did you wait so long? If you'd stopped him when you had the chance, my Fred wouldn't have died."

Harry stared at the closest thing he had to a Mother, stricken. "I tried my best," he whispered. "I did the best I could with the information I had."

"It's true Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said walking up, hand in hand with Ron. "Dumbledore's information wasn't exactly complete."

"So now you're blaming Dumbledore for Harry's failures?" She eyed Hermione and Ron's entwined hands. "If you are going to be a part of this family young lady, you will not associate with Potter anymore."

Hermione turned to Ron, a pleading look on her face. "Tell her Ron," she begged. "Tell her it's not Harry's fault. Tell her he did his best to stop Voldemort."

Ron wouldn't look at her. His eyes stayed fixed on his feet. He mumbled something.

"What?" Hermione asked.

Ron glanced at her, his chin jutting out. "He should've stopped him sooner," he mumbled.

Hermione stared at him in shock. "How could you say such a thing? Harry let Voldemort hit him with a killing curse to stop him."

Ron's eyes flashed. "Well," he snarled. "If his death would've kept my brother from dying, I consider that a fair trade."

Hermione dropped his hand as if it'd burned her. "How could you," she whispered. "He's been our friend for years."

Ron scowled at her. "Go ahead," he said harshly. "Choose Harry again, I always knew you would."

"No," Harry spoke suddenly. "Don't sacrifice your happiness for me, Hermione. I'm not worth that. I'll be fine."

"Harry," Ginny said, voice quavering. "I…"

Harry smiled sadly at her. "I love you Ginny. We'll talk later, if you want."

Before Ginny could say another word, Harry turned and left the hall.

Things had not improved after that day. Harry had tried to contact her, but her Mother had somehow intercepted the owls before she'd gotten the letters. She'd even gone so far as to put a mail blocking charm on Ginny, so she wouldn't receive any mail at all.

Ginny scowled at the thought of her own Mother blocking her mail. What was she going to do? It wasn't fair to make Harry wait on her? Should she tell him that they couldn't be together? Tears sprang to her eyes at the thought. She couldn't do that. She had to find a way to convince her Mother that it wasn't Harry's fault and she had to do it soon.

As she approached the burrow, the door opened and Hermione stormed out. As she passed Ginny, she glared at her.

"Your Mother and brother are arses." With a crack, she was gone.

Frowning, Ginny entered the burrow. As she walked into the kitchen, she saw Ron glaring down at the table. "Hermione just left," she said tentatively.

Ron Grunted.

Ginny sat down across from him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Harry," he snapped.

"What about him?" Ginny asked frowning.

"We had a fight about him, that's what. Hermione insists it wasn't Harry's fault that Fred died. She just doesn't understand. If Harry hadn't been goofing off in the tent, if he'd killed You Know Who sooner, Fred might still be alive."

Ginny stared at her brother. "Goofing off?" she asked incredulously. "He was on the run from the entire wizarding world."

"Which should have given him more motivation to stop him."

"Ron, Harry told you everything he knew. If you had such a problem with the way he handled things, why didn't you try and stop Voldemort?"

"Because it was Harry's job," Ron said as if it should have been obvious. "He was the one the prophecy was about, not me. No one else could stop You Know Who."

Ginny opened her mouth to speak, but her Mother's voice stopped her.

"You're absolutely right, Ron. He was chosen by magic to stop Him. He should've taken his responsibility more seriously."

Ginny turned to glare at her Mother. "He didn't even know about the prophecy until the end of his fifth year. How was he supposed to prepare for something he didn't even know about? Do you even know the full contents of the prophecy? I don't. I only know the line, 'neither can live while the other survives.'"

Her Mother's angry expression softened. For a moment, Ginny allowed herself to hope that maybe her Mother had finally seen reason. When she spoke, that hope was quickly dashed.

"Ginny, I know you love him, but you need to let him go. While you are under my roof, you will not associate with that boy. He's far too dangerous. Furthermore, don't think that I'll help plan any wedding that involves him. If you marry him, you're on your own."

Tears sprang to Ginny's eyes. She turned and ran from the room. Ron and Mrs. Weasley could hear her feet pounding up the stairs. They heard her bedroom door slam. Ron looked at his Mother.

"I don't like Harry anymore, but don't you think that was a bit harsh? You basically said you would disown her if she married Harry."

"I will not bury anymore of my children. If she wants to shorten her life by associating with Harry, then so be it, but I won't watch her commit suicide."

"You may not, but I will," a male voice said from the doorway.

Ron and Mrs. Weasley turned to see Mr. Weasley standing in the doorway. What was left of his red hair stood straight up on his balding head. Magic crackled around him.

Arthur Weasley was normally the most taciturn of men, but when he was angered, he was a sight to behold. Now, here he stood, glaring straight into his wife's eyes. His lips were pulled into a thin line and his blue eyes flashed with fury. "What do you have to say for yourself, Molly?"

"Me," Molly said shocked. "What are you talking about? What have I done?"

Arthur stepped into the room, still glaring at his wife. "I find the fact you don't know quite disturbing."

Molly's brown eyes narrowed. "I will not stand here and be accused of something I didn't do," she said, her voice beginning to rise.

"That's the thing, Molly, you did do it. I stood here and watched you. You told our daughter that you would disown her if she married Harry."

"I did not," Molly began, but Arthur cut her off, his own voice rising to drown her out. His rage was palpable. A breeze blew through the kitchen. It was as hot and dry as a desert wind.

"You told her that if she married Harry, not to expect any help from you, did you not? You also told her that if she married Harry, she was on her own. You didn't consult me to see what I thought. No, you just proclaimed that we'd both disown one of our children if she married the man she loved. "You may not have said the words, but the message was clear."

"What about Fred," Molly said, stabbing an accusing finger at her husband. "He trusted Harry and look what happened to him. Do you think I want to see my daughter in an early grave because she made the same mistake?"

"We all trusted Dumbledore," Arthur said coldly. "I blame him, not Harry."

Molly stared at her husband in shock. "Dumbledore," she whispered. "How could you blame Dumbledore? He'd been dead for a year before Fred died."

"Harry did the best with what he was given," Arthur said calmly. He trusted Dumbledore to teach him the things he needed to know. I've talked to the lad and he feels really guilty about all the deaths."

"As he should," Molly said vehemently."

Arthur continued as if he hadn't heard her. "He told me the prophecy. He told me everything that Dumbledore taught him. Did Ron tell you what Dumbledore's secret lessons were?"

Ron shuffled his feet. "Dad," he said.

Arthur raised a hand to stop him. "Dumbledore showed him Voldemort's past through various memories. He drew those lessons out over a year. He could've shown him all those memories in one night. If he didn't have them all, he could've shown Harry the one's he had and then shown him more memories when he got them. He didn't do that. He didn't teach Harry any magic. He didn't train him at all. After what happened at the final battle, I believe Dumbledore was preparing Harry to die."

Molly looked at her husband, her eyes reflecting nothing but shock. No one had ever spoken this way about Albus Dumbledore. True, he was not perfect, but she'd always believed he'd had everyone's best interests at heart.

"I can't Arthur," she said at last.

"Can't what," Arthur asked tiredly.

"I can't support a relationship between Harry and Ginny. Even if what you say is true, it changes nothing. Fred is still dead, because Harry didn't act quick enough. I will not support a decision that will lead my daughter to the same fate."

She turned and left the room before Arthur could speak. A few seconds later, they heard the back door slam.

The rest of the evening was strained to say the least. Ginny sat with the family, but didn't speak to anyone. It was almost midnight and Ron, Ginny, and Molly were sitting around the fireplace. Arthur had gone up to bed an hour before, leaving the three to talk and try to mend fences.

It hadn't gone as he'd hoped. Ginny refused to talk to her Mother until she agreed to let her see Harry. Ginny would be the first to admit this was very childish, but she didn't care. If it made her Mother see reason, it would be worth it.

For her part, Molly was fuming at her daughter's attitude. Didn't she understand that this was for the best? Why couldn't she see how dangerous associating with Harry was? She would come around. Even if she got a job, it would be a while before she could move out. Molly was confident she could make her daughter see sense in that time.

Ron didn't care about Ginny's relationship with Harry one way or the other. If she wanted to date the girlfriend stealing bastard, let her. He just didn't want her crying to him when the relationship went horribly wrong.

The three were broken from their thoughts by a throat clearing behind them. They turned as one to see Albus Dumbledore sitting in a chair behind them.

He was relaxed, looking as if he'd just stopped by for a chat. He wore midnight blue robes and his long silver hair and beard were neatly combed, falling to his waist. His blue eyes twinkled as he looked at them. When he saw them staring at him, he raised one hand in greeting. "Hello, Ronald, Ginevra, Molly, how have you been?" he asked, his smile widening.

The three Weasleys stared at the old man in shock. It was Molly who spoke first.

"Albus, how is this possible? You're dead."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Quite," he said bowing slightly. "I am dead, but unfortunately, not departed. I'm here to talk to you about a wrong I have committed. Out of a life of many sins, this has to be my most grievous. I require your help to redress this wrong so that I can move on to my final rest."

Molly stared at him, frowning fiercely. "How do we know that you're really Dumbledore? You could just be a demon or some other kind of evil spirit."

"Very good, Molly," Dumbledore said, smiling again. You are of course correct. However, there are some difficulties with your assumption. As you can see, I am not transparent. Also," his eyes twinkled. "Do I need to tell your children what I caught you and Arthur doing in your sixth year?"

Molly turned crimson and hurriedly shook her head. "Okay, so let's say that we believe you are who you say," she said quickly. "What is this wrong you have committed? How can we help you?"

"It concerns Harry," Dumbledore began.

"No," Molly said sharply. "No, I'm sorry Albus, but we don't associate with Harry anymore. If you're looking for someone to help him, you will have to go somewhere else. My family has done enough. I won't risk their lives for that boy any longer."

The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes had vanished. The expression on his face was as cold as a block of ice. "I had hoped I was misinformed," he said quietly. "I had hoped you weren't still blaming Harry for something he couldn't help."

He looked at Molly directly. "Is this how you repay the person who saved your daughter's, husband's and son's life?"

Molly shifted uneasily. Her hands fluttered in her lap. She looked away from Dumbledore's steely gaze. "We've done enough," she said again.

"It wasn't Harry's fault," Dumbledore said with a long sigh. "It was mine. I should've trained him the best I knew how, but I didn't. I thought he would need to die before Voldemort could be defeated. I was wrong and my arrogance nearly cost us the war. If I had acted sooner, or even sought a way to remove the soul fragment from Harry's scar, so many things could be different."

"You can't be expected to think of everything, Albus," Molly said gently. "Besides, Harry was chosen by prophecy. You couldn't have stopped Voldemort. It was Harry's job and he buggered it up."

"Ah, that's where you are wrong. I have come to believe that the prophecy was fulfilled the night that Harry's parents died. If I had acted then, the second war may have never happened."

"But it did," Ron spoke up. "After you died, Harry took me and Hermione on that quest you sent him on. He sucked as a leader, even got Hermione tortured once."

Dumbledore's eyes flashed. "We all make mistakes, Ronald. I seem to recall one of yours nearly causing Ms. Granger nearly to get beaten to death by a troll."

Ron paled and slumped back in his chair. Molly opened her mouth to speak, but Dumbledore stopped her with a hard stare.

He fixed the three Weasleys with an icy glare. "I think the three of you need a lesson in humility. I had hoped this wouldn't be necessary, but I see there is no other choice."

"What are you going to do," Ron said nervously. He didn't like talking to a dead man, even if it was Dumbledore. When the old man has said something about teaching them a lesson, his nervousness increased.

"You will each be visited by a spirit," Dumbledore said. Each of you will be shown a point in Harry's life. I hope this will show you how fortunate you are and make you reconsider your actions."

Oi," Ron bellowed. "Don't we have a choice in this?"

"No," Dumbledore said shortly. "I have utterly failed Harry. I treated him like a weapon, a lamb to be led to the slaughter. I will not allow you to throw him away like a piece of trash." Dumbledore began to fade. "I hope not to see you for a long time," he said, his voice growing fainter with each word.

Just like that, he was gone. Ron, Ginny, and Molly stared at each other. There was nothing to say. Ginny spoke after several moments.

"Did he say when these spirits would be coming?"

Ron and Molly shook their heads. The three of them sat silent for half an hour.

"This is ridiculous," Ron said standing up. "I'm going to bed. These spirits are obviously not coming."

"Quite," Molly said. "I'm not even sure that was Dumbledore. It was probably just Harry trying to scare us into forgiving him."

Ginny followed her brother and Mother up the stairs. Entering her room, she got into bed and was instantly asleep.

A/N

I own nothing.

Consider this, my first challenge. The rules are simple. The Weasleys must shun Harry after Fred's death and through some sort of event, realize their mistake. Any het paring is accepted, but Harry/Ginny, Harry/Hermione, or Harry/Luna would be preferred.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

Molly awoke suddenly. She lay still, listening to Arthur's snores. Something was in the room with her. She strained her eyes, but could see nothing. She sat up and swung her legs out of bed. She stood beside the bed, straining her ears to their limit, but she heard nothing. Still, the feeling persisted. There was someone other than Arthur and herself here. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. Her heart rate sped up. Was it a Death Eater? Had they somehow gotten into her house despite the wards her eldest son, Bill, had set up. She reached for her wand, preparing to fight to protect her family.

She nearly screamed when a hand grabbed her wrist, stopping her fingers mere inches from her wand.

"Shh," a voice hissed in her ear. "You don't want to wake your husband, do you?"

Molly frantically tried to pull her hand back, but the grip on it was unyielding. "Be still bitch," the voice snapped. "I'm not going to hurt you, unfortunately."

A soft white light filled the room, revealing the intruder. Molly gasped, her hand not in this person's iron grip flying to her throat.

Beside her, clutching her hand in her small one was Lily Potter. Her red hair fell to the middle of her back in a single long braid. She wore a long flowing white gown that covered her from neck to calf. Her feet were bare and unless Molly's eyes deceived her, weren't quite touching the floor. Her green eyes were fixed unblinkingly on Mrs. Weasley's face.

"Hello Molly," Lily said quietly. Her voice seemed to echo, as if she was speaking from inside a cave.

"You're dead," Molly whispered.

"Indeed," Lily said dryly. "How very observant of you."

"What do you want," Molly said, her voice trembling slightly. She tried again to free her hand, but Lily's grip tightened painfully.

"To help Harry," Lily said simply.

Molly stared at this apparition haughtily. "Then why aren't you with him?"

"Because, there are things you need to see. Your family is the closest thing to a family my son has ever known and you single handedly stripped that away from him."

Molly bristled. "It is not my fault if my family finally saw what a danger he posed to their safety." As she spoke, her eyes dropped from Lily's face. She stared down at the floor sullenly.

"All your lies will cross your eyes," Lily said in a sing song voice. "That's what my Mother said anyway. I'm not going to argue with you. We're going on a little trip. It's time you saw what my son's life was really like."

Molly opened her mouth to protest, but Lily tugged on her arm, and just like that, they were somewhere else.

 **XXX**

Molly blinked in the sunlight. She looked around the street dazedly.

Cars were parked in the drives of houses nearby. Each lawn was perfectly kept. The grass was perfectly cut, not one blade stood higher than any other. The houses were all two stories high, all looked exactly alike. Same beige paint and sloping roofs. The only difference appeared to be the brass numbers on each door. Molly looked at Lilly.

"Where are we?"

"This is the Dursley home," Lily explained frostily. "This is where Harry grew up." She pulled Molly forward. "Come with me."

The two moved down the street. As they passed the occupants of the houses, Molly noticed the people drawing back, as if they'd felt a sudden chill. Seeming to read her mind, Lily spoke.

"They can't see or hear us, but they can sense our presence."

Before Molly could say anything, they stopped in front of a house that looked the same as all the others. On the door was a brass number four. Lily turned to her.

"Looks neat enough, doesn't it? From the outside, you'd never know that this was home to some of the most bigoted monsters on the planet."

"What do you mean?" Molly asked.

"Come now," Lily said. "You suspected what went on here. Heaven knows my son dropped enough hints."

"Well," Molly mumbled. "I knew he wasn't happy."

Lily laughed mirthlessly. "Not happy, that's the understatement of the century, but enough talk, come, let's see what the inside is like, shall we?"

Not giving Molly a chance to respond, Lily drew her forward. They passed straight through the wooden door as if it wasn't there.

 **XXX**

Molly blinked in the sudden dimness. After a moment, her eyes adjusted and she was able to look around.

They were standing in a large living room. The furniture was all in bright blue's and yellows. There was a chair, a sofa, and a long couch against the back wall. Each piece of furniture was draped with a dust cover. Molly looked at Lily confused.

"Are they moving? Why is everything draped with cloth?"

"No," Lily said. "My sister is a bit of a neat freak. She can't abide any type of uncleanliness. She views it as abnormal so…" She gestured at the covered furniture. "Nothing can get on the furniture with those sheets on it."

"Well," Molly said, pointing at the pictures lining the walls. "She doesn't have good taste in art. Look at the pictures of pigs everywhere. Has she always loved them?"

Lily snorted. "Those aren't pigs Molly. They're pictures of my nephew, Dudley."

Molly blushed. "Sorry."

"Don't be, he did look like a pig when he was younger. Although, from what I hear, he's really turned his life around over the past couple of years."

Their conversation was interrupted by a crash from the kitchen. It was followed by a bellow of rage. "Boy," a man's voice roared.

Hurriedly, the two women rushed to see what'd happened. They entered the kitchen just in time to see a small dark haired boy fall to the ground, clutching his face. When he moved his hand, they could both see his left eye swelling shut. His other eye, as green as his Mothers, stared up at the fat man fearfully.

He clambered to his feet, cringing against the far wall. Looking at him, Molly guessed he couldn't be older than three or so. His dark hair was a mess as always. He was dressed in oversized baby clothes. They were so large they hung down over his feet. Molly didn't see how he could walk without tripping.

"I'm sorry Uncle Vernon," the boy whimpered. "I just couldn't reach the stove. That's why the bacon burned."

"That'll teach you to get something to stand on next time won't it," the fat man said nastily. "Just for that, you don't get any food today. Now, get to your cupboard."

The boy opened his mouth to protest, but Vernon raised one purple fist threateningly.

Shoulders slumping, Harry turned away from his uncle and made his way down the hallway.

Molly looked at Lily. "What does he mean by cupboard?"

Lily gestured for Molly to follow her. They followed Harry down the hallway to the stairs. Kneeling, Harry opened a small door built into the staircase. When she saw the inside of the cupboard, Molly gasped.

The cupboard couldn't have been more than four feet high and three feet wide. In one corner there was a mess of mops and buckets. Cleaning supplies were piled in another corner. In the middle, there was a battered mattress. The fabric was ripped and springs poked out in several places. Covering the mattress was a thin tattered baby blanket.

Lily looked at Molly stonily. "I think your family ghoul has better accommodations, does he not?"

Molly shook her head. "Dumbledore said he'd be safe," she whispered.

"Safe from Death Eaters perhaps, but not safe from my sister and her oaf of a husband. Dumbledore took it upon himself to place my son here, but he didn't check up on him. He knew what sort of people my sister and her family were, yet he left Harry on their doorstep with naught but a letter for explanation. How can you respect a man that cares so little for those he takes it upon himself to protect?"

Molly was silent. She could make no defense for Dumbledore. He had failed utterly as a surrogate guardian for Harry. He may have had his reasons for doing what he did, but she could think of none that would justify leaving Harry in an abusive environment. Unbidden, a thought occurred to her. What if it were her children? What if she and Arthur had died and Dumbledore had left her children in a place like this. She stifled a sob. She couldn't imagine how Lily must be feeling.

After giving her time to respond, Lily continued. "Come, there is more you must see before we move on."

The room seemed to shimmer around them and they were standing in the kitchen once more. Harry stood at the stove. He was clearly a little older. His shirt and jeans were still far too large for him. He flipped an egg, watching as it sizzled in the hot bacon Grease. From several feet away, they could hear his stomach growl.

"He hasn't been fed for three days this time," Lily said dully, "but he is still expected to cook their meals." She wiped a tear from her eye. "It must be pure torture for him." She straightened and her expression hardened. "There is one last thing you must see before we continue onward."

The room shimmered again. When they could see, they stood in a living room surrounded by brightly wrapped packages. The tree decorated with lights and tinsel standing in one corner made it clear it was Christmas time.

On the floor in front of the tree, was a large fat boy with piggy little eyes and blond hair. He was ripping the paper off the packages, not even looking at the contents before tossing it aside.

"Little tike is so excited," chuckled Uncle Vernon.

Molly turned to Lily. "Where's Harry?"

Lily pointed at the cupboard. Through a crack in the door, they could see a pair of green eyes staring at the pile of presents longingly. He may get a pair of socks for Christmas," Lily said conversationally. "If he's lucky, he'll get a pair of Dudley's old underwear."

"Poor boy," Molly murmured.

Lily's head whipped around to look at her. "What?" she asked her eyes wide in mock surprise. "Could you be feeling sorry for the person who caused your son's death through his inaction?"

Molly hung her head in shame. Lily glared at her.

"Let's go," she said shortly "We have a few more places to see." The room faded from view around them. There was a feeling of weightlessness, and then they were somewhere else.

 **XXX**

Molly looked around, taking in her new surroundings.

There were shelves of jars all around the room. Some contained animal feet, some contained pickled toads, and rats soaked in formaldehyde. Molly thought some of the animals were moving when she wasn't looking. The stone walls constantly dripped with moisture and the cauldrons around the room steamed in the cold air.

As Molly looked around the room, she saw Harry and Ron sitting together at one of the tables. By their height and appearance, she guessed they couldn't be more than eleven years old. She glanced sideways at Lily, a confused expression on her face.

"What are we doing in the potions classroom?"

"Watch," Lily said shortly. "This is their first potions class."

No sooner had she spoken, Snape swept into the room. His long black hair billowed behind him. He glared at the students waiting for him. His black eyes lingered on Harry, a sneer twitching at the corner of his thin mouth.

Molly tuned out most of his speech, wondering why this was significant. Why would Lily want to show her this? Hearing Harry's name, she started paying attention again.

"Ah," Snape said in his low cold voice. "Harry Potter, our new celebrity."

Molly heard the Slytherins in the room snickering. Snape continued.

"Potter, what would I get if I combined powdered root of asphodel with an infusion of Wormwood?"

Harry blinked at the professor. "Um," he said hesitantly. "I don't know sir."

"Fame isn't everything is it, Potter?" Snape sneered. "Let's try again. Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

"I don't know sir," Harry said again.

"What is the difference in Monkshood and wolfs bane," Snape snapped.

Harry looked around the room. "I don't know sir," he said, still as respectful as ever. "I think Hermione does though, why don't you ask her?"

Molly noticed Hermione standing up, her hand waving in the air.

"Sit down," Snape snapped. "Potter, that's one point from Gryffindor."

Molly turned to Lily as Snape explained the answers to his questions. "Okay, he singled Harry out, but that's nothing to what he went through at the Dursleys."

"Watch," Lily instructed.

The lesson continued as normal until Neville melted his cauldron, causing boils to sprout all over his body.

"Potter," Snape growled. "Why didn't you tell him not to at the porcupine quills until he took the cauldron off the fire? I suppose you thought it'd make you look good if he got it wrong? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."

"We can go now," Lily said solemnly. Instead of vanishing, she turned and walked through the door. Hesitantly, Molly followed.

"Why did you show me that?" she asked shakily.

"Snape's actions were relatively minor at first, but every time he saw Harry, he was reminded of what James did to him. He escalated from this point. Once, he even destroyed Harry's potion and gave him a zero for the day. I am showing what Harry's life was like, so you can understand how much your betrayal hurt him."

Molly stayed silent. For the first time she'd been with Lily, she felt guilt. Could she have treated Harry unfairly?"

Lily's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Did you know that you were first to give Harry a Christmas present?"

Before Molly could answer, everything faded away again."

 **XXX**

When they reappeared, they were standing in a graveyard. Crumbling headstones towered on either side of them. The statue of an angel, standing tall, with wings spread and sword held aloft, stood at one end of the graveyard.

"Listen," Lily hissed in Molly's ear.

Molly did. She could hear muffled grunts of effort and the thud of a body crashing against a hard object. Lily gestured for her to follow. As they moved towards the sounds, Lily turned to her. "Remember, they can't see or hear us. We are shadows in this time and place."

Molly looked at Lily confused. "Why do you feel the need to mention that?"

"You'll see," Lily said cryptically.

As they maneuvered around another headstone, Molly gasped. There was Harry tied to a headstone. "No," she whimpered, immediately knowing what was coming. "Not this, please not this."

"Watch," Lily barked. Suddenly, she sounded furious. "I had to watch it without being able to do a damn thing to stop it, so you should have to."

Molly watched, horrified, as a short, fat, balding man dragged a large stone cauldron to the foot of the headstone where Harry was tied. She'd never seen him before, but she knew immediately who he was from the descriptions of her son and Sirius.

"Wormtail," she hissed.

Wormtail drew his wand and spoke to the night. "Bone of the Father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son."

Molly gasped as the earth shifted; a bone rose out of the ground, and plopped into the cauldron with a wet splash.

Wormtail began to sob, the small frightened weeping of a child who has just been told that the monsters under his bed are real. "F-flesh of the servant," he whimpered. "W-willingly given, you will restore your m-master."

Molly shrieked as Wormtail drew a long silver dagger, and with one swing, cut off his right hand. There was a sickening thud as the hand hit the ground. Panting quickly, Wormtail picked up the hand and threw it into the cauldron.

He turned to Harry, the bloody dagger still clutched in one hand. "Blood of the enemy," he croaked. "Forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe."

Molly flinched as Wormtail cut Harry's arm with the dagger. Blood flowed steadily from the wound, staining his robes before Wormtail was able to catch some in a small vial. Turning back to the cauldron, he tossed it in.

There was a billow of steam. A few seconds later, Voldemort stepped out of the cauldron. "Robe me," he hissed.

Molly swayed on her feet, and would have fallen had Lily not gripped her arm tightly. "Stay on your feet," she hissed. "We have more to see."

Molly turned to shout at Lily, but froze when she saw the tears running down her face.

Over the next half hour, Molly was forced to watch as Voldemort tortured Harry. She watched as Harry dueled the evil wizard, and finally escaped with the help of the echoes from Voldemort's wand.

After it was all over, Lily looked at her. "Two more things, and then we are done."

Molly was shaking. She'd known Harry's life hadn't been easy, but she'd never expected anything like this. "No more," she begged. "Take me home, I get it. I screwed up. I won't do it again, just please take me home."

"Two shadows more," Lily said firmly. Before Molly could say anything, their surroundings faded once again.

 **XXX**

When Molly was aware again, she knew immediately where she was. She was standing in the Hogwarts Hospital wing. Looking around, she caught a glimpse of Sirius leaving the room. She froze as she heard her own voice.

"You need to take your potion Harry. Try and think about something nice, try and think about what you're going to buy with your winnings."

Molly winced at her past self's words. How insensitive could you be? The poor boy had just witnessed a fellow student's death and the return of the most evil wizard on the planet, and she was telling him to think about money?

She heard Harry say that he didn't want the money, that it should've been Cedric's. She watched as tears filled his eyes. She continued watching as her past self wrapped her arms around him and held him close, stroking his hair. She could feel her own tears running down her cheeks.

"You were the first person he can remember hugging him like that," Lily said softly. "You were the closest thing to a Mother he knew."

Molly fell to her knees, sobbing. "I can't stand it," she wailed. "I'm so sorry Lily. Please, let me go home and I swear I'll make things right."

"One more thing," Lily said quietly.

 _ **XXX**_

They stood in the kitchen of Grimmauld place. They listened to the argument between Sirius and Molly about whether Harry should be given any information concerning the war with Voldemort.

"Well," the past version of Molly said. "I can see that I'm going to be overruled. I'll just say this. Dumbledore must have had a good reason to keep things from Harry, and speaking as someone who's got Harry's best interests at heart…"

"He's not your son," Sirius growled.

"He's as good as,' past Molly shot back. "Who else has he got?"

I don't think we need to see any more of this," Lily said, taking Molly gently by the arm. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Just like that, they were back in her bedroom.

"Do you understand now?" Lily asked harshly. "Harry thought you were his family. He thought he could count on you, but after he'd defeated Voldemort, after he'd watched his classmates die, you threw him away. I hope you're proud of yourself."

With those final words, Lily was gone.

Molly fell onto her bed, tears running down her cheeks. After what seemed like a long time, she drifted off into a fitful sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

Ron awoke with a loud snore. He rolled over in the bed and stretched. He froze as he sensed someone leaning over him.

"Boo!" a voice yelled in his ear.

"Ahh," Ron yelled, falling out of bed. He leapt to his feet, reaching for his wand.

"Looking for this?" said a familiar voice.

Ron looked up at the person twirling his wand between their fingers. His red hair looked windswept. His blue eyes twinkled merrily and his grin was from ear to ear. He wore long pink robes and a neon green cloak.

Ron gaped. "It can't be," he croaked.

"Fr," he began.

"Go ahead," his older brother said. "Sound it out, I remember how slow you are. Come on; say it with me, 'Freeeddd.""

"But you're dead," Ron blurted.

Fred giggled. "Eloquent as ever," he chortled. "You're right, I am dead, but I'm here to help you."

"Your clothes," Ron said stupidly, staring at Fred's pink robes.

"You like it," Fred said, twirling on the spot. "Personally, I think the pink really clashes with my hair, but pranking and fashion don't really go together."

Ron's lower lip trembled. "Things haven't really been the same since you died."

Fred's boyish grin faded. "Yeah," he said soberly. "I know. My once loving family has alienated one of their own."

Ron flinched. "Well," he mumbled. "It is his fault. He should've…"

'Crack!' Ron flew backward from the force of the punch, crashing into the wall behind him.

Fred glared down at him. "You're just a parrot. Do you have an original thought in your head? Hell, Dad even knows that Mum's gone too far, but you still can't see it."

Ron struggled to his feet, rubbing his swelling jaw. He stepped up to Fred, glaring right into his face. "You haven't seen me in a year. You've been dead. You have no idea what it's been like, but that doesn't matter, does it? No, you're taking Harry's side. Doesn't anyone care about me?"

Fred stared at his brother, a disgusted expression on his face. "So that's what this is about. You're jealous again. Bloody hell, have you always been this childish?"

Ron stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"You have everything Harry ever wanted. Do you have any idea what Harry would give for a loving family?"

"Well, he stole my girlfriend."

Fred huffed in exasperation. "Ron, he didn't steal her. You can't steal something that was thrown away."

"I never threw her away," Ron snapped.

"You forced her to choose between the two of you."

"And she is with Harry," Ron said sulkily. "What does that tell you?"

"It tells me that she is with the person that needs her most. You have our entire family to be with you. Who does Harry have? Besides, you aren't broken up. She's just pissed at you. Can you really blame her?"

"It always comes back to him, doesn't it?" Ron roared. "Harry this, and Harry that. He gets everything. He has money, fame, and his own home."

"Enough!" Fred yelled. "I've had enough of your whining, little brother. "It's time that you see what Harry's life is really like. Touch my robe," he said, smiling suddenly.

Warily, Ron gripped Fred's shoulder.

"Lower," Fred said.

Ron ran his hand down Fred's arm.

"A little to the right," Fred said.

Ron moved his hand onto Fred's chest.

"Lower," Fred said.

Ron's hand moved down Fred's stomach, right above his crotch.

Fred laughed. "I always knew you batted for the same team."

Ron snatched his hand back, cheeks flaming. Fred gripped Ron's shoulder.

"Seriously, it's time to go."

There was a bang, a puff of blue smoke, and Fred and Ron were gone.

 **XXX**

When Ron became aware, they were standing in Bill's cottage. "Why are we here?" he asked Fred.

"Because this is where Harry is," Fred said as if it should be obvious.

"Right now," Ron said incredulously. "It's the middle of the night."

Fred scowled down at the ground. "A few hours ago, idiot," he said, pointing at the windows. "I thought the sunset would've made that perfectly clear."

Ron blushed. Before he could say anything, they heard laughter. Following the sound, they entered the kitchen of the cottage. Sitting around the table was Bill, his wife Fleur, Hermione, Harry, and a girl with dirty blond hair and silvery blue eyes.

Ron Frowned. "What is Luna doing here?"

Fred stared at Harry and Luna, a slight smile on his lips. "They've been getting closer over the past year."

Ron followed Fred's gaze and noticed how Luna kept touching Harry, how she kept piling food on his plate, and how she smiled at him sometimes for no apparent reason.

"I don't like this," he said turning to Fred. "What about Ginny? He's playing with her."

Fred didn't take his eyes off Harry and Luna. "What about Ginny? She's been stringing him along for a year. Do you think Harry should wait forever? Besides, nothings been decided yet. Harry and Luna are just really close friends."

Ron watched Hermione watching Harry and Luna. There was a small smile at the corners of her lips and a soft expression in her eyes. It was clear that she didn't have a problem with Luna's actions. "Even Hermione seems okay with it. What, are you going to tell me that Harry ends up with her too?"

Fred shrugged. "Anything could happen. I don't think Luna would be opposed to sharing."

Their conversation was interrupted as Bill laid his fork down on his plate. He leaned back in his chair and belched contentedly. "Thanks Fleur," he said smiling at her. "It was great as always."

Fleur smiled back, kissing his cheek. "You are welcome." She turned to the three sitting across from them. "Did you enjoy?"

Harry smiled at her. "It's been a while since I've had cooking that good. I'm not bad in the kitchen, but I think you've got me beat."

Fleur flashed him a pleased smile. Luna and Hermione made noises of agreement.

"So," Bill began. "I hear that you went to see Ginny today. How did that go?"

Harry's smile faded. "Not good. She's still asking me to wait for her. She says that her Mum and Ron will come around soon. I think she's under the impression that your entire family besides your Dad is angry at me."

"You haven't told her that you've been coming to our house?" Bill asked surprised. "Why?"

Harry looked distinctly uncomfortable. He scratched his head and looked down at the floor. "Your family already hates me. I didn't want to cause a rift between you and them."

Bill frowned at Harry. "Harry," he said firmly. "I'm twenty-five years old. I can make my own decisions." His voice and expression softened. "It's not your job to save everyone."

Hermione giggled. "Nice try Bill, I've been telling him that for over a year and it still hasn't sunk in." She smiled playfully at Harry. "He's quite thick when he wants to be."

Ron scowled. Hermione was supposed to be his girlfriend, damn it. Why was she smiling that gentle loving smile at Harry? He glared at Harry.

"If Potter steals my girl," he growled. "I'll kill him."

Fred opened his mouth to say something, but Bill's voice stopped him.

"Harry, Ginny is my sister. I love her to death, but I think it's time you started looking elsewhere for love."

Ron stared at Bill in shock. How could his brother suggest that? Harry and Ginny were supposed to be together.

Harry stared at Bill, his mouth hanging open. "What?" He muttered. "I thought you'd… well…"

Bill looked at him seriously. "You thought I'd tell you to continue to wait. Harry, I would be thrilled if you married my sister, so would my Dad, but it's not fair on you. You can't just wait forever for her to decide she wants to be with you."

Harry looked down at the table, fiddling with his fork. "I love her," he said quietly.

"I know you do," Bill said, "But you need to start putting your life back together. Try dating a little. Who knows, maybe you two will end up together after all, but you can't keep going to see her every day. You'll never get over my Mum's rejection if you keep going back to be hurt again."

Harry looked at Hermione. Obviously seeing what he wanted, she reached across the table and laid her hand on his.

"Bill's right. "We've both been waiting for a long time. "You've been waiting for Ginny to come back to you and I've been waiting for Ron to grow up and realize that he's not the only one who's lost someone. Honestly, I'm getting tired of waiting."

"Yes," Luna said dreamily. "Ginny needs to get the nargles out of her head if she wants to be with you."

Harry smiled at Luna. "Thanks," he said. "I'll think about what you all have said."

"It is your decision, Harry," Fleur said. "For what it's worth, I think they're right. You've put your life on hold long enough."

Ron stared at the occupants of the table in horror. He whirled on Fred. "Hermione's going to break up with me," he shouted into his face. "What am I going to do?"

Fred seemed totally unconcerned at his brother's anger. "I don't know if there's anything you can do," he said gently. "It may already be too late."

"There has to be a way to fix it," Ron said beginning to pace.

Fred's shoulders lifted in what might've been another shrug. "I don't know. The Future is not my department." He laid a hand on Ron's shoulder. "Come on, we have more to see."

 **XXX**

Ron blinked. It took his eyes a few seconds to adjust to the darkness. "Where are we?"

"Don't you mean when are we?" Fred asked, smirking.

Ron scowled. "I thought you said you couldn't travel to the future?"

"This isn't the future," Fred said patiently. "This is the past."

Ron stared at his brother. "What are you talking about? Why are we here?"

"We only have three more scenes, counting this one. I showed you what was happening in the present. Now, I'm showing you a few scenes from the past."

Ron started to ask what he meant, but stopped as a younger version of himself appeared out of nowhere. Ron gaped. This version of himself looked dirty and had lost some weight. Hermione came bursting into view behind him."

"Ron," she called. "Come back."

The past Ron twisted on the spot, and vanished with a crack.

They heard Hermione's sobs before she vanished. Fred grabbed Ron's arm and dragged him forward.

Ron felt as if he'd stepped through a door made of ice water. They appeared in a small living room. Hermione lay on a sofa, crying loudly. Tears ran down her face as she stared at Harry.

"He's g-gone," she choked.

Harry took a blanket and gently covered her with it. He sat beside her, stroking her hair until she fell asleep.

"I'm beginning to think Harry would be better for her than you," Fred said matter-of-factly.

"What are you talking about?" Ron snapped. "I love her."

"Do you?" Fred asked, staring hard at his brother. His blue eyes were chips of ice. "If you love her as you claim, then why did you leave them alone in the tent? This is the second time you've abandoned your friends when they needed you. Do I need to remind you of your fourth year?"

"I apologized…" Ron started, and then paused. He looked down at the floor.

"No, you didn't," said Fred quietly. "You abandoned your friends three times and you haven't apologized once. First, you left them during fourth year. Second, you abandoned them during this horcrux hunt. Lastly, you abandoned Harry when Voldemort was defeated. Each time your friends needed you."

Ron glared at his feet. "Harry knew I was sorry," he mumbled.

"How?" Fred asked. "How would he know? He can't read minds. I hate to break it to you Ron, but Harry's only human. He's been through enough. He needs time to rest, both physically and mentally."

Ron wouldn't look at his brother. Could Fred be right? Was he really that bad a friend to Harry? Before he could think more about that, Fred spoke.

"Come on, two more things to see."

Ron gripped his brother's arm, and they vanished.

 **XXX**

When they reappeared, Ron shrieked like a girl.

"What the hell?" he screamed as a snake exploded out of the corpse of an old woman. The snake lunged at Harry, knocking him to the ground. Ron heard Hermione's voice.

"Harry? Is everything alright?"

Harry grunted, rolling away from the snapping fangs of the serpent. There was the sound of pounding feet. A few seconds later, Hermione rushed into the room. Seeing the snake, she grabbed Harry, fired a blasting curse, and disapparated.

There was a scream of rage. Ron turned and took an automatic step backwards. Voldemort stood in the doorway, glaring at the snake. His wand flashed out, and the wall of the house burst into flame.

Ron looked at his brother as the cottage burned all around them. "Why show me this?"

"I know they told you what happened while you were gone, but seeing it and hearing about it are two different things. You needed to see what your actions caused.

"I didn't cause anything," Ron said. "If I'd been here, one of us may have died. Harry and Hermione barely made it out as it was."

Fred sighed. "Come, one more thing to see."

 **XXX**

Ron looked around the forest and shuddered. He crouched lower, staring up at the skeletal trees towering above him. Gulping, he turned to Fred. "There aren't any spiders here, are there?"

"No," said Fred seriously. The giant spiders are currently attacking Hogwarts. Look."

Ron looked where Fred was pointing just in time to see Harry walking deeper into the forest. He was surrounded by silver light. He moved quietly, trying not to step on the tree branches littering the floor. Ron gasped as he noticed the people walking with him.

They looked solid, but their feet left no tracks on the ground. One was a tall man with untidy black hair and hazel eyes.

A woman walked with the man. Her red hair fanned out behind her.

Harry's parents," he whispered.

"Sirius and Remus to," Fred said, pointing at a handsome man with grey eyes and a man with grey streaked hair and amber eyes. "They're walking with him. He asked them to walk with him until it was over."

"Until what was over?" Ron asked.

Before Fred could answer, Harry spoke.

"Does it hurt?" He asked his voice trembling slightly.

"No," Sirius said, his gruff voice echoing slightly. "It's like going to sleep."

"What are they talking about?" Ron asked.

Fred ignored his question. He led Ron deeper into the forest. They stepped into a clearing. Ron shivered as he saw Voldemort standing beside a small fire.

"I thought he'd come," he whispered. "I guess he doesn't care about his friends as much as I thought."

"Not quite," Harry said loudly. "I'm here."

Voldemort turned to Harry, smiling widely. The smile revealed long pointed teeth. "So you do have courage," he whispered, his red eyes gleaming.

His wand moved, there was a flash of green light, and Harry fell to the ground, unmoving.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

Ginny grunted, swatting at the air. Something was poking her shoulder.

"Lea me alone," she mumbled sleepily.

"Sorry," a high soft voice said. "We have places to go. Now get up, I don't have all night."

Ginny blinked and rubbed her eyes. She sat up and looked at her visitor. The girl was barely three feet tall. She couldn't have been older than six or seven, but there was something about her. Time seemed to cling to her. It was as if she'd lived several lifetimes, gaining the wisdom of those lives, but not the age.

Ginny tried to examine the girl's features, but that was difficult. At one moment, her eyes were a warm chocolate brown. A second later, they were a silvery green. Her hair changed color as well. It was red one moment, and then shifted to a dirty blond, then to Chesnutt brown. Ginny looked away from her. The girls shifting appearance made her head hurt.

"Who are you?" she asked.

The girl's lips twitched. "I don't know."

"What?"

"I. don't. Know," the girl said slowly, as if Ginny were particularly stupid.

"Did you get hit with a memory spell or something?" Ginny asked leaning forward.

"Nope," the girl said popping the P. "It's complicated."

"You can't be older than six. How complicated can it be?"

The girl took Ginny's arm with a small hand. Ginny noticed that even her hands were changing. At one moment she had short stubby fingers. The next they were long and slender.

"Come on," the girl said.

Ginny hesitantly climbed out of bed. "Where are we going?"

The girl widened her ever changing eyes. "The future," she said dramatically.

Ginny stared at her.

"Wizarding families," the girl grumbled. "I'm so glad my Dad was raised a muggle."

Before Ginny could say anything in response, the ground dropped out from under her feet. She tried to grab onto something, but there was nothing to grab. She let out a long loud scream as she fell through the air.

 **XXX**

Ginny's feet slammed into the ground and she fell over. Rolling over, she glared at the giggling girl standing above her.

"That was fun," the girl said, clapping her tiny hands.

Ginny sat up. "Fun, is not the word I'd use," she stood up and looked around.

They were standing in an alley behind a small wooden building. The walls of the building were cracked and rotting. The floor of the alley was churned up earth. Ginny breathed in and nearly choked. The smell of old piss and sour shit filled the air. Broken bottles, empty cigarette packs, and unidentifiable trash littered the ground.

"What is this place?" Ginny asked turning to her guide.

"It's a pub isn't it?" the girl said looking around.

"Okay," Ginny said slowly. "Why did you bring me here?"

The girl led her deeper into the alley. Ginny jumped slightly as a rat scampered passed her. They approached a lump on the ground. The only thing that told Ginny it was a person was the loud snores coming from it. As they got closer, Ginny wrinkled her nose.

Whoever this person was, they smelled awful. Underneath the overpowering smell of whisky, Ginny could smell dirt, unwashed flesh, and piss.

Coughing, Ginny turned to the girl. "Who is that?"

Before the girl could answer, the person rolled over, revealing their face. The bottom half of his face was covered by a dirty and matted beard. His hair was lank and greasy, but was just as red as his beard. One long arm was thrown out to the side. In his other hand, he clutched an empty whisky bottle.

Ginny stared at him. "Ron," she whispered, horrified.

"Yes," the girl said solemnly. "It's him. How did you know? He looks a lot different than he does in your time."

Ginny swallowed thickly. "Very few of my brothers are that tall. Regardless of how he looks, he's too young to be Bill."

"Pretty good deductive reasoning," the girl said smiling slightly.

"Deductive?" Ginny said. "I'm surprised a girl your age knows such a big word."

The girl's smile widened. "I have the potential to be quite intelligent."

Ginny looked down at her passed out brother. "What happened to him?"

"Life," the girl said unsympathetically. "When you don't let go of your anger and hate, this is where it can lead you. Really, this is one of the better things that could've happened to him."

Ginny's head snapped around. Her brown eyes flashed with anger. "How could you say that? My brother doesn't deserve this."

"I didn't say he did," the girl said calmly. "I said that this was one of the better things that could've happened to him. He could've turned out to be a murderer. At least as a drunk he's not hurting anyone besides himself."

"Don't you have any compassion?"

"Of course I do, but he did this to himself. No one forced him to become a drunk. No one made him turn his back on his family. He did that all on his own."

"Ron would never turn his back on his family," Ginny growled. "He's a hothead, he has a temper, and he doesn't always think things through, but he's loyal to his friends and family."

The girl didn't answer. She pointed behind Ginny. Ginny turned to see a man dressed in torn and ragged robes sneaking down the alley. He looked around before continuing to walk forward. When his beady little eyes landed on Ron, he smiled.

Throwing all caution to the wind, the man scurried over to Ron and began digging in his robes. A few seconds later, he stepped back, clutching a couple gold coins in one grimy hand.

Ginny started forward, but the girl's hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"We're just spectators here. We can't interfere."

"But he just stole money from my brother," Ginny snapped.

"Yes," the girl said as calm as ever. "This isn't the first time Ron's been rolled and it probably won't be the last. Shame though, that was the last of his paycheck. I wonder how he's going to pay the rent on his flat now."

Ginny stamped her foot. "How did this happen? What brought Ron to this point?"

"His own anger and jealousy," the girl said quietly. "You see, Ron's always been afraid that Harry would steal Hermione from him."

"Harry wouldn't do that," Ginny said immediately.

"Not intentionally," the girl said. Ron and Hermione never completely reconciled. They kept fighting and arguing. The final straw was when Ron refused to go with Hermione to get her parents. Harry and Luna ended up going with her. Harry was raised in the Muggle world and between him and Hermione they managed to teach Luna what she needed to know."

"But what about Ron?" Ginny asked.

"Ron continued to allow his anger to get the better of him. He went from job to job until he ended up here."

"Didn't my family try and help him?"

"Of course," the girl said, "but he didn't want to be helped. He insisted he didn't have a problem. Molly's insistence that it was just a phase he was going through didn't help things either. This phase has lasted for over ten years. Eventually, the family just gave up. They realized that they couldn't help someone that didn't want to be helped.

Ginny looked down at her unconscious brother. She'd known he had issues, but she never expected them to lead him here." She jumped when the girl took her arm.

"Come on, we have other things to see."

Ginny looked up at the girl. "Can't we do anything for him?"

"I told you," the girl said patiently. "We are just observers. We can't interact with anyone on the physical plane. If it makes you feel any better, this hasn't happened yet in your time. You can still change things."

Before Ginny could say another word, the ground dropped out from under her and she was falling once again.

 **XXX**

Ginny's feet slammed into the ground. This time she managed to stay upright. She looked around the room and instantly knew where she was.

"Why are we at the burrow?" she asked the girl.

Looking around the room, Ginny's eyes widened. There were old food incrusted plates littering every surface. Torn bits of parchment, half-eaten chocolate bars, and empty gin bottles littered the floor. From somewhere close by, Ginny could hear a whistling snore. Stepping towards the sound, she entered the kitchen and saw an enormous woman slumped over the kitchen table.

The woman had to weigh at least 300 pounds. Fat hung from her arms like bags of doe. Her ham sized hands were folded on the table in front of her, and her flabby face rested on them. Ginny gaped at the woman before turning to her guide.

"Who is that?"

Her guide stared at the fat woman sadly. "Don't you recognize your own Mother?"

Ginny's eyes widened. "No!" she exclaimed. "That can't be my Mother. My Mother was a little plump, but she was nowhere near that… that…" She stopped completely lost for words.

"Big?" the girl suggested tactfully.

"Yes," Ginny said gratefully. "That big."

The girl stepped towards Molly and looked down at her. She reached out, as if to brush a strand of grey hair away from the sagging jowls. "She's all alone now." She sounded like she really felt sorry for Molly.

Ginny's heart clenched. "What are you talking about? Has something happened to my Dad? What about my brothers? Why don't they come to see her?"

"Your Father left her about three years ago. He couldn't take her yelling at him anymore. From what I've been able to gather, he remarried and has a child on the way. As for your brothers, they couldn't handle her continued attempts to control their lives. They just stopped talking to her. Ron stayed in touch the longest, but eventually Molly couldn't handle his drinking and kicked him out."

"What about me?" Ginny said.

"Oh," the girl said smiling. "We'll be seeing your future next. I don't want to spoil it for you."

Ginny looked around the kitchen. It didn't look any better than the living room. The sink was full of dirty dishes. The once clean floors were covered in at least an inch of grime. As she stood there, she thought she heard a scuttling sound. Drawing her wand, she lit it and peered around the kitchen more closely. She gasped and took a step back towards the living room.

At least seven fat rats scurried over the floor. Their tiny feet made a scratching sound as they dug through the dirt looking for scraps. Ginny looked at the girl. She opened her mouth to ask a question, but a flash of red light froze her.

Turning back to her Mother, she was just in time to see one of the rats heads explode in a flurry of bone and brains.

"Got ya, you little basard," Molly slurred, picking the rat up by its tail. She waved her wand, summoning a dirty bowl from the sink. A few spells later, she had cleaned the bowl. She turned away from the table, and held the rats spurting corpse over the floor.

"What is she?" Ginny began.

There was a wet ripping sound. Ginny gagged as with a twist of her wand, Molly peeled the skin off the rat. The empty skin folded itself neatly and fell to the floor. Another wave of the wand, and the meat yanked free from the skeleton.

Rising jerkily to her feet, Molly dropped the rat meat into a pot of water on the stove. With a gesture, the pot of water began to boil. Molly added potatoes, green beans, corn, and a bit of barley to the pot before beginning to stir.

Ginny leaned over, clutching her stomach. She felt the girls hand on her shoulder and she flinched back.

"Why did you show me this?" she whimpered. "I know we should've treated Harry better, but my Mother doesn't deserve this. She doesn't deserve to be all alone living off rats."

"I agree," the girl said, "but your Mother's actions brought her to this point. She let her grief and anger control her life. This may not happen, but it is a possibility."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked hopefully.

"All the visions I've shown you are just possibilities. The future is not set in stone. It is possible that your Dad wouldn't have left your Mum. It is also possible that even if he had, your Mum wouldn't have ended up this way. Think of this like a worst case scenario."

"I can't take that chance," Ginny said firmly. "The future has to change."

The girl smiled at her happily. "Very good, you are learning. Now, come on, we have more to see."

"Wait," Ginny said, pulling away from her.

"What?" the girl asked innocently. Her eyes were silver green once again and twinkled with mischief.

"Is there another way we can travel?"

The girl pouted at her. "Let me think," she said scratching her chin.

"Okay," she said, lips twitching. "I've thought about it and the answer is, no." Before Ginny could protest, the girl had grabbed her arm and they were falling again.

As they fell, the only thing Ginny could hear over her own screams was the girls tinkling laughter.

 **XXX**

When she became aware of her surroundings once again. Ginny looked around. They were clearly in a girl's locker room. She could hear the splashing sound of water on tiles and the giggles and yells of several girls.

"Where is this?"

"Holy head Harpies locker room," the girl said.

Ginny's eyes widened. "You're serious," she said excitedly.

"I'm serious," the girl said. "You're in the shower over there." She pointed to a closed shower door across the room.

Ginny's stomach lurched. After what'd happened to her Mother and brother, she was a little afraid to see her future self. Before she could do anything, she saw a mass of wet red hair, and then her future self emerged from the shower.

Ginny smiled. Her future self looked amazing. Her legs were toned and muscular. Her stomach was flat with not an ounce of fat showing. Her red hair fell in a tangle around her shoulders. Ginny watched herself raise one small hand and push the hair out of her face.

Past Ginny looked at the little girl beside her. She gaped. The girl's hair and eyes had changed to match her own. Before she could ask about it, the girl spoke.

"Your future self looks pretty good, doesn't she?"

Ginny nodded. "I assume I'm a quidditch player?"

"You assume right," the girl said. "You are a chaser for the holy head harpies. You've been playing for the past four years."

Ginny looked at her future self. As fit as she looked, there was something missing. She noticed how her future self never looked up at anyone. She never spoke to the other girls. Her brown eyes remained fixed on the floor in front of her.

"She doesn't look happy, does she?" the girl asked conversationally.

Before Ginny could answer, one of the girls spoke up. "Hey Ginny, are you coming with us clubbing tonight?"

Ginny watched as her future self nodded. "Sure," she said without enthusiasm.

Another girl laughed. "Still trying to get over your X-husband?"

Future Ginny shook her head. "No, I'm just going to enjoy playing quidditch. I'm not going to worry about getting married again until I retire. Maybe I'll pick up some random guy, but no relationships until my quidditch career is over."

Ginny stared at her future counterpart in horror. How could she speak so casually of the failure of her marriage? She whirled on her guide. "Why did I divorce Harry?"

The girl raised one currently scarlet eyebrow. "Harry? Who said you were married to Harry?"

Ginny gaped at her. "You mean I wasn't?"

"Nope, you married Neville. When you two divorced, you just walked away from everything."

"Why would I do that? Why wouldn't Neville at least try to make our marriage work?"

The girl's eyebrow arched higher, almost touching her hairline. "Who says he didn't? He tried to talk to you about your traveling, but you were so focused on your career that you wouldn't listen. A relationship needs work to keep the love alive. Eventually, you two just drifted apart."

Ginny looked down at the floor. "Did I ever have a chance to be happy with him, or was I doomed from the start because I didn't get with Harry?"

Her guide snorted. "You assume that there is only one person that you could've been happy with, and if you don't meet that person, you'll be miserable, correct?"

Ginny nodded hesitantly. "Harry and I were soul mates, weren't we?"

The girl looked heavenward, as if asking for patience. "You and Harry were a great match for each other, it is true. However, Harry wasn't your only match, nor were you Harry's."

"So what happened to Harry?" Ginny asked.

The girl laid a hand on her arm and they began falling again.

 **XXX**

When they landed, Ginny looked around. Chairs and tables of various colors and heights sat around the room. Some of the tables were only knee high. Some of the chairs were hard wood, while others had plump cushions covering them.

Ginny heard a cooing sound. She looked to the sound and saw Luna sitting in a large chair breastfeeding a tiny baby. She smiled lovingly down at the baby.

"Are you full Xino," she said softly.

In response, the baby burped, causing Luna to giggle. She gently stroked the baby's messy blond hair. "Sleep now, baby," she said softly. "Me and Daddy need to work on number three."

"You just gave birth to Xino," a deep voice said from behind her. "Don't you want to rest before you give birth to number three?"

Ginny turned to see Harry standing in the doorway, smiling at Luna. She stared at him in awe.

He had definitely filled out. His muscles were well defined. His black hair was a little longer than it was now, just covering his neck. The added length appeared to have tamed it. He wore no glasses and his green eyes sparkled with happiness.

"It's never too early to start having more kids," said Luna smiling dreamily.

"Harry and Luna?" Ginny asked her guide.

"Yes," the girl said. They got together a few months from your point in time."

"But what about me?" Ginny whispered. "Didn't he love me?"

"Of course, but he couldn't put his life on hold forever."

"So, I'm not going to be with Harry?"

"That remains to be seen. There is a chance."

Ginny noticed that the girl's hair had turned dirty blond and her eyes were silver green again.

"You're his daughter," Ginny said her eyes widening.

"Yep, but it hasn't been decided who my Mother is yet. There are three choices."

Ginny remembered when the girl's eyes and hair had matched her own. "So I could be your Mother?"

"Possibly," the girl said cheerfully. "I just have one request."

"What's that?"

"Whether you end up being my Mother or not, please stop Daddy from naming any of his kids Albus Severus."

Ginny smiled. "I think I can handle that."

"I guess I'll see you later," the girl said. "Remember, there are more important things than quidditch."

"Thank you," Ginny said.

The girl waved at her and then Ginny was falling again.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

Ginny awoke with a start. She shoved back the covers and swung her legs out of the bed. "What where!" she said looking around the room frantically.

She sighed in relief when she saw her room. All her things were in their accustomed places. She looked down at herself. She was in good shape, but she was not as toned and fit as her future counterpart had been. "It's not too late," she said smiling widely. She hurried to her wardrobe and began to get dressed.

"I have so many things to tell Mum and Ron," she said to herself. "I don't know if they'll believe me, but I have to try."

Once she had all her clothes on, she left the room and went down to the kitchen. She froze when she saw Ron and Molly sitting around the kitchen table. Neither looked happy.

Ron was pale. He stared straight ahead, his blue eyes dull. A muscle in his jaw kept twitching and his hands shook uncontrollably.

Molly wasn't much better. Her eyes were swollen and bloodshot. Tears ran down her face and made a puddle on the table in front of her. "So foolish," she kept whispering.

Ginny slowly entered the kitchen and sat down at the table. It was several moments before either her Mother or Brother noticed she was there.

"Hi gin," Ron said quietly. "Did you have a… er… visitor last night."

Ginny nodded. "Mine was a young girl. She showed me the future." She shuddered, remembering how her Mother had killed and eaten a rat. "It was horrible." She paused. "Well, most of it was horrible. I'll do whatever it takes to prevent that future from happening.

"Mine was Harry's Mum," Molly sniffled. She showed me Harry's past. It was horrible. When I woke up last night, I just kept thinking about everything. I was so horrible to that poor boy. I don't know how I can even begin to say sorry for everything I've done.

Ginny glanced at Ron. "Who was your visitor?"

"Fred," Ron said softly.

Molly and Ginny both gaped at him. "Fred!" Molly said jumping to her feet. "Is he alright? Did he seem happy?"

Ron rubbed his jaw absently. "He wasn't very happy with the three of us. He was especially angry with me for abandoning Harry." He looked down at the table. "He was right you know. He said that I was jealous of everything Harry had. I never really considered everything Harry lost. I never thought about how lucky I was. Did you know that Bill still talks to Harry? He had dinner with him last night." He hesitated looking at Ginny.

"What is it," Ginny asked nervously.

"Bill told Harry that he may need to move on from you," Ron said this very fast as if the faster he got it out, the less pain it would cause his sister. "He said he'd never be able to heal if he kept coming back here to be hurt."

Ginny glanced away from her brother. "I can't say that I'm surprised. I've been really lucky that Harry hung on for this long. I guess all I can do is apologize and hope he gives me a chance to make it up to him."

Ron nodded. "I've got to do the same with Hermione. I've been a real prat. If I want to be with her, and I do, I need to learn more about the muggle world. I need to listen to her more and try to take an interest in the things that she enjoys."

Ginny grinned. "Why Ron, you've grown up."

Ron grinned back, but he still looked sad. "I treated her so bad for so long. I hope she sees that I am really sorry I just wish I'd have thought about how my actions were affecting my friends."

Molly reached out and squeezed his hand. "Neither did I. I never considered what I was doing to that poor boy. I just wanted to punish him for causing Fred's death."

Ron looked over at his sister. "You said your guide was a girl? That seems kind of strange. What'd she look like?"

"Hard to say," Ginny said reflectively. "Her appearance kept changing. She said she was Harry's daughter, but she said something about how her Mother hadn't been decided yet." She frowned fiercely down at the table. For the first time since the talk had begun, she looked unhappy. A solitary tear ran down her cheek.

"What is it, dear?" Molly asked.

Ginny took a ragged breath. "In that future, Harry was married to Luna and they had two children. At the time I saw, Luna was holding their new born son and she was talking about having child number 3. As much as I love Harry, I don't think I could cause two kids not to exist. That just seems cruel to me. It would be worse than killing them."

The sound of a throat clearing interrupted their conversation. They all turned to see Arthur entering the kitchen. Silently, he walked over to the table and sat down. He took Molly's hand and smiled at his two youngest.

"I may have a way to help you, Ginny, if you're willing."

"What do you mean," Ginny asked. "How can you help me? I don't think there is any way I can be with Harry."

"Perhaps perhaps not," Arthur said. "First, I need to know what you three are talking about. I heard something about guides. Where did they take you and what did you learn that has you so upset?"

Over the next half hour, Molly, Ginny, and Ron told Arthur of Dumbledore's visit. Each explained about their own trip through time and what they had seen. When they were done, Arthur chuckled.

"Well, we do live in a world of magic. I have never heard of anything like this before, but that doesn't mean it's not possible."

"So you believe us?" Molly asked.

"Oh yes," Arthur said. "It explains your sudden change of heart concerning Harry."

"So what do we do now?" Ginny asked. "How can we apologize to Harry for what we did?"

"One word at a time," Arthur said solemnly. "I don't know if things will ever be the way they were between you three, but we can try."

"Do you know where he is?" Molly asked.

"There's only one place he could be at this time of the morning."

 **XXX**

Harry awoke to a persistent knocking on his door. Still half asleep, he rolled out of bed and walked downstairs. When he opened the door, his eyes widened.

"Hello Harry," Molly said tentatively. "Can we come in?"

"Why are you here?" Hermione said from behind him. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed that her wand was pointed at Molly's face.

Molly took no notice of the wand. "Please Harry, we just want to talk. We've made so many mistakes and we need to apologize to you."

"We?" Harry asked.

Molly gestured behind her and Harry saw Ron, Ginny, and Arthur standing behind her.

Harry looked over his shoulder. "What do you think?" he asked Hermione.

"We might as well hear what they have to say."

Harry turned back to the Weasleys. "Come on in," he said quietly.

Molly smiled at him. "Thank you," she said gratefully.

Harry led them to the kitchen. As they sat down at the table, Kreature appeared and set dishes of bacon, eggs, fried tomatoes, baked beans, and toast before them.

"Help yourselves," Harry said. "Hermione and I haven't had breakfast yet."

They all piled their plates with food and began to eat. When they were done, Harry leaned back in his chair, surveying the four Weasleys calmly.

"You said you wanted to talk?"

Molly cleared her throat. "Yes, I… I…" She paused and took a deep breath. "Harry, I am so sorry for everything."

Harry looked at her saying nothing. He took a long drink of pumpkin juice. "What are you sorry for exactly?"

Molly winced at his tone. It was calm, cold, and devoid of all emotion. Steeling herself, she continued. "I am sorry for treating you like dirt for the past year. I'm sorry that I blamed you for Fred's death. I've realized that it wasn't your fault."

Harry looked at her silently for several moments. "Why?"

Molly blinked at him. "What?"

"Why did you blame me? Why was it my fault? I did the best I could. I stopped Voldemort as quick as I could. Did you honestly think that I would draw the war out? Hell, Voldemort wanted me dead. I was undesirable number one, remember?"

Molly nodded.

Harry continued. "You blamed me for Fred's death. It took people along time to convince me that none of the deaths were my fault. Why? You claimed I was as good as a son, but your actions said otherwise. You drew your entire family around you. Hell, you would've even let Hermione into your hearts, but you wanted me as far away as possible."

"You're right," Molly said. "You have every right to be angry with me. I wouldn't blame you if you never spoke to me again." She stopped speaking to take a drink of water.

"You want to know why?" she asked looking deep into Harry's eyes. "The Daily Prophet."

"It was the newspapers fault?" Harry asked raising an eyebrow.

"In a way," Molly explained. "They said that you were the chosen one. They said you were the only one that could stop You-Know-Who. I guess reading about that day after day. I started to believe that it was your responsibility to stop him. I know that is no excuse, but it is the truth."

Harry looked at Ron. "What about you? You were my friend. Why would you turn your back on me?"

Ron shifted in his seat, refusing to meet Harry's eyes. "I have no excuse," he mumbled. "I guess I was just jealous and angry. I let my Mum's beliefs influence me. I let her convince me that it was your fault. I know it wasn't right, but it was easier to blame you than to go against my family."

Harry's expression was totally blank. "Apparently, you were not the only one who felt that way," he said glancing at Ginny.

Ginny winced and looked away from him. "I deserve that," she said in a small voice. "I should've stuck by you. I should never have just left you alone to deal with your grief. You will never know how sorry I am."

Harry was silent for a while. He looked over at Hermione and she stared back. Looking back at the Weasleys, he spoke in a soft calm voice.

"I understand why you did it. You probably aren't the only family that blamed me for the death of one of their loved ones, but your abandonment hurts. You all were the closest thing I had to a real family. I really felt like I was a part of your family for a while. When it came down to it, you kicked me out." He turned to Ron, his green eyes flashing.

"Ron, you have proven once and for all that blood means more to you than friendship. Maybe that's the way it's supposed to be. I don't know. I never had a family that gave a damn about me." He glanced at Ginny.

"Ginny, I love you. I'd hoped to build a life with you, but how can I? Would you be loyal to me if we got married? What if I had a disagreement with your parents? Who would you side with? Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that I expect you to tell me I'm right even if I'm wrong, but I need someone that will have my back. Can you be that person?"

Ginny raised her chin and stared straight into Harry's eyes. "I think I can be," she said quietly. "You're right. You need someone who will fight for their beliefs. Before Fred's death, I was that type of person. I didn't let anyone influence my opinion. If I believed something was wrong, I said so. Wouldn't you agree?"

Harry nodded his ascent. "You did," he said firmly.

"I did a lot of thinking last night. I realized that I'd treated you very unfairly. I expected you to wait for an unknown length of time for my Mother and brother to come around. I'd become a spineless little coward, afraid of angering my Mother. It didn't matter that my Dad never believed in what she did. I wanted the entire family to love you before beginning our relationship again."

"And now you want to start our relationship again," Harry said softly. "It's just a coincidence that your Mum and Ron have come around, is it?"

Ginny looked down at the table. "Would you believe me if I said yes?"

Harry let out a huff of air. "Ginny," he said tenderly. "There would've been a time that I would've loved to have been with you. Maybe we can be together in the future, but I've met someone over the past year. I don't know where it's going, but we seem to really fit, you know? I want a chance to see where it goes."

Ginny's lip trembled. "I understand," she said softly.

Harry turned to Ron and Molly. "I don't know if we can, and I can't speak for Hermione, but I'd like a chance to try and rebuild our relationship. I don't have enough friends to go throwing them away, but please understand it's going to take time."

Molly smiled at him. "Of course dear," she said reaching across the table and patting his hand.

Hermione spoke next. "Ron, you seem to really have changed and I do believe you are sorry for everything you've said and done over the past year. I don't know if our relationship can be fixed, but we can try."

Ron smiled hesitantly. "Thanks Hermione."

"Well," Arthur said standing up. "Thank you for breakfast. I think it is time for us to go. Come on, Ron, Ginny, Molly." At the door, he turned back to face Harry. "I want you to know that regardless of how this situation turns out, you both will always be welcome at my home."

"Thanks, Mr. Weasley," Harry and Hermione said together.

After the Weasleys were gone, Hermione looked at Harry. "What do you think?"

"I don't know. I hope they are sincere in their regret, but I don't know if I can trust them again."

Hermione squeezed his shoulder. "I understand, but we can at least give them a chance."

"Yeah," Harry said staring down into his plate. "I guess that's all we can do."

 _ **XXX**_

Later that day, Harry approached a house that looked like a giant chess piece. As he reached out to knock on the white door, it opened.

"Hi Harry," Luna said smiling at him. "How are you today?"

Harry smiled hesitantly at her. "Hi Luna, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Yes," Luna said dreamily. "Come with me." She took his hand and led him behind the house to a wooden bench overlooking a small pond. She sat down and pulled him down beside her.

"Ginny and I use to swim here a lot when we were kids."

Harry looked at her. Did she know? At the expression on his face, Luna giggled. "She came to see you today, didn't she?"

Harry blinked. "How?"

"I knew she would eventually come around. What did she have to say?"

"It wasn't just her," Harry explained. "Ron and Molly came to. They all wanted to say how sorry they were that they'd abandoned me."

Luna continued to stare at him, saying nothing. She took his hand and squeezed it gently.

Taking strength from her touch, Harry continued. "They seemed sincere, and I forgive all of them, for my sake if not for there's." He looked down at the ground. "But, I don't know if I can trust them anymore. What happens if Ginny and I would begin dating? What if we had a fight? Would Ron and Molly gang up on me? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they shouldn't. After all, they are her family, but would they let Ginny and I be allowed to try and solve our differences on our own?"

Luna reached up with her other hand and stroked his cheek. "There's something else, isn't there?"

Harry looked at her. He could feel his face heating up. "Well," he mumbled. He gathered his courage and looked deep into her eyes. "You and I have gotten a lot closer. I'd like a chance to see where our relationship might go. That is, if you want to."

Luna's smile lit up her face. Her silvery blue eyes sparkled. "So, this will be a date?"

Harry shifted his feet. "I was hoping for a more meaningful relationship. You know, as a couple."

The sparkle in Luna's eyes grew even brighter. Her lips twitched. "So you'll be my boyfriend? You know you'll be my first boyfriend, right?"

Harry felt a smile grow on his own face. "I'll try not to disappoint you."

"I'm sure you won't be a disappointment," Luna said softly. Leaning forward, she kissed him gently on the lips. Wrapping his arms around her, Harry returned the kiss. After a few moments, they pulled back, grinning widely.

"That was lovely," Luna said dreamily.

"Yeah," Harry said grinning goofily.

"I think we need to practice some more," Luna said. Grabbing Harry's face, she drew him back to her, kissing him hungrily. As they kissed, Harry reflected that he had indeed made the right choice.

XXX

Over the next couple of months, Ginny watched as Harry and Luna began to build a relationship. From a distance she watched them kiss and hold each other tightly. She heard from Hermione how they had gone out to restaurants in muggle London several times. It was obvious that they were very happy together.

Ginny didn't know how to feel about this development. On one hand, she was very jealous of Luna. Luna was in the position Ginny wanted to be in. On the other, Luna was obviously making Harry happy and Ginny had to be grateful for that. After all Harry had been through, he deserved some happiness in his life.

Ron and Hermione's relationship was strained at best. Ron was making an effort, but Hermione was hesitant to trust him. Ginny could understand that. Sure her brother might have changed, but he'd said he was sorry before and then made the same mistakes. She wondered if it wouldn't be for the best if Ron and Hermione started seeing other people.

Molly was doing much better. She seemed to be more cheerful and less angry as time went on. She was thrilled to learn that Bill and Fleur would be expecting their first child and was happily knitting a jumper for the new addition to the family.

As for Ginny, she tried dating Neville. After all, the little girl said she hadn't given their relationship a real chance, dedicating most of her time to her quidditch career. This time, she started early. She wanted to see if Neville and she could have something.

Ginny had to admit it was fun being with Neville. They spent a lot of time together going to quidditch games, having drinks at the three broomsticks, and just sitting and talking. As time passed, Ginny began to realize there was something missing from her relationship with Neville. When she looked into his eyes, she knew he could see it to. One day, they sat down to talk about it.

 **XXX**

"I know I have a lot of fun with you," Neville said nervously, "but I don't know. There's no spark, you know? As much as I like you, well…"

"You don't love me," Ginny said quietly.

Neville looked away from her. "Sorry," he mumbled, "but I don't."

Ginny gently cupped his chin between two fingers. Gently, she turned him back to face her. She kissed him gently on the lips. "I understand," she murmured. "I feel the same way. I think we could have fun together, but there'd always be something missing. We should be free to find love with someone."

Neville was nodding as Ginny spoke. "So I guess this is good-bye," he said.

"As a couple yes, as friends, never."

 **XXX**

"Ginny," Molly called. "Luna is here to see you."

Ginny came down the stairs feeling puzzled. "Why would Luna be here? Stepping into the kitchen, she saw Luna sitting at the table chatting animatedly with her Mother. When she saw Ginny, she stood up.

"I hope you will excuse me Molly," she said politely. "Ginny and I have something to talk about."

Ginny followed Luna out of the house and to the apple orchard behind the burrow. Sitting down on the grass, Luna gestured for Ginny to join her. After she'd sat, Luna looked at her seriously.

"We need to talk about Harry."

Ginny's gut clenched. "Is something wrong?"

Luna patted her shoulder. "No, nothing is wrong at all, but I need to talk to you about mine and Harry's relationship."

Ginny looked at her oldest friend surprised. "Luna, shouldn't your relationship be between you and Harry?"

"Not when it concerns you as well."

Ginny blinked. "How could it concern me? Has Harry said something? Is he angry with me about something?"

Luna held up a hand, stopping Ginny's rambling. "Harry isn't angry with you. He says that you have been nothing but supportive of our relationship, which is why I wanted to talk to you."

"Okay," Ginny said slowly.

"As you know, Harry is the last of the Potters. Even if I did nothing but pop out babies, it would be very difficult to rebuild his family line. I want to insure the Potter family thrives again."

"What does any of this have to do with me?" Ginny asked.

"Under some old laws, the last of a family can have two wives to help rebuild their family line.

"So you want Harry to have two wives?"

"Yes, if you agreed, you would be the second Mrs. Potter."

"I don't know," Ginny said. "Harry seems really happy with you. "I don't want to mess that up."

"You still love Harry. It could work. After what you've gone through, I seriously doubt you would do anything to hurt Harry again."

"But I don't want to ruin your relationship with Harry, he deserves to be happy."

"We could make him happy," Luna said confidently. "Between the two of us, I think he'd be very happy indeed. He'd never have to wonder what would happen if he'd married the other one of us because he'd have both of us."

"Is your relationship with Harry really that serious? You two have only been dating for a few months."

Luna smiled dreamily. "He will be my husband," she said with certainty.

Ginny sat thinking for a few moments. Finally, she smiled at her friend. "If you can convince Harry to go along with this crazy plan, I'll agree to give it a try."

Luna grinned. "Great," she chirped. "I'll go talk to him right now."

Before Ginny could say another word, Luna was up and off, running back to her house.

"She's certainly happy isn't she," a deep voice said from behind Ginny.

Ginny turned to see her Dad smiling down at her. "How much of that conversation did you hear?" she asked softly.

"Almost all of it."

"What do you think?"

"Well," Arthur said his smile widening. "I told you that there was a way for you and Harry to be together. If you can make this work, that little girl you saw will be born and the children you saw with Luna will exist as well. I'm not saying it'll be easy, but at least this way you can be with Harry without feeling guilty.

Ginny suddenly felt very content. "It's up to Harry now, isn't it?" she asked her Father.

"Yes it is," Arthur said, patting her shoulder. "But don't worry, Harry has a knack for making the right choice."

 **XXX**

 **Epilogue**

Of course, things weren't that simple. It took several months for Luna to convince Harry to attempt a relationship with her and Ginny. After months of discussions that went nowhere, Luna sat down with Harry for a talk.

 **XXX**

"Harry, this will not change us. "I love you and if I have my way, we're going to be married someday. All I'm asking is that we try. If it doesn't work, then we'll help Ginny find someone for herself."

"Luna, I love you to. Our relationship is important to me. I don't want to lessen it by adding another person to it. You are enough for me."

"Harry, we're not lessening our relationship. We're just adding another dimension to it."

Harry grunted in annoyance. "I'm not even sure I love her anymore."

Luna's lips twitched. Her eyes began to sparkle. "You can't tell me you haven't wondered what would have happened if you two had gotten back together. Now is your chance to find out."

"I don't want to know," Harry snapped. "I'm happy with you."

"Will you just try it, for me," Luna delivered this line with a small pout and wide eyes.

Harry tried to look away, but Luna reached out and took his face in her small soft hands. She leaned close to him, batting her eyelashes.

"Please," she whispered her lips only inches from his.

Harry's shoulders slumped. "Okay," he said defeated.

Luna kissed his cheek. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

 **XXX**

Things were strained in the new relationship. Harry was extremely uncomfortable with showing Ginny any sort of affection around Luna. "It's like cheating," he explained one day.

Again, Luna came to the rescue. She suggested they alternate days to be with Harry. Once he was used to going on dates with each girl individually, they started going out as a trio. It took some work, but they managed to settle into a comfortable relationship.

Ron and Hermione's relationship ended amicably. They both gave it an honest effort, but too many things had happened for them to be able to stay together.

Hermione eventually started dating Neville and married him after a few years together. She rose through the ranks of the ministry, finally becoming minister of magic.

Ron eventually got together with Padma Patil and they had one son. He treated Padma with respect and love and he positively doted on his son.

Molly was simply happy to have loads of Grandkids to spoil. She made sure that her temper never controlled her mouth again and became the best Grandmother she could be.

Harry's relationship with Molly and Ron eventually repaired itself. As Harry had said, he didn't have enough friends to go throwing them away. Ron could often be found over at Harry's house and vice versa.

To help rebuild his relationship with Molly, Harry began taking cooking lessons with her. Molly was delighted to have someone to pass on her recipes to and Harry was happy to be learning something new. An unforeseen benefit was Harry's skill in potions grew by leaps and bounds. He was never going to be a great Potions master, but he was one of the best brewers in the family.

Harry went into business manufacturing brooms. His broom, named The Phoenix, was used in the international Quidditch league. It wasn't the most exciting career, requiring weeks of research for each broom, but it was a lot safer than chasing dark wizards.

After several years together, Harry proposed to Luna and Ginny. The three were married in a quiet ceremony.

Luna became owner of the Quibler when her Father passed away. She eventually bore Harry two children, a son they named Xino Sirius Potter, and a daughter they named Diana Selene Potter.

Ginny played Quidditch for five years: before retiring to become a Quidditch reporter for the Daily Prophet. To her delight, she bore Harry a daughter, Lily Luna Potter. As she lay on the bed, looking down into her daughters beautiful brown eyes, she remembered the little girl who'd guided her through the future. One of her appearances looked just like the baby she held in her arms.

As she nursed her daughter, she thanked Dumbledore for sending those spirits to herself, her Mother, and brother.

Things had started rocky, but she couldn't be happier with the life she had. Her Mother was the best Grandmother around, her brother was happily married, and she had one of her closest friends as a sister wife. She couldn't think of any way her life could be better.

All was well.

 **A/N I hope you all enjoyed this little story. When I started this, I never expected it would end this way. I hope you take a moment to leave some feedback.**

 **Until next time.**

 **Wizmage**


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